Saucy Meat Sauce 
Posted by Angel at 2007-03-25 11:27:30
Meal: | Dinner |
Prep Time: 03:00
Difficulty: 1/4
Rating: 4/4
Categories: | Beef | Pork | Pasta | Sauces |
This recipe has been in my family for generations. My mother has made it almost every Sunday since I was born, and I'll never get sick of it. Don't be intimidated by the prep time, this sauce is really easy to make, and most of the time is spent letting it sit while occasionally stirring.
A couple of notes before we get started:
This recipe intentionally uses a small amount of salt because you should be boiling your pasta with salt in the water.
The onion used here is left whole to avoid having onion pieces in the sauce. If you like bits of onion in your sauce, by all means, chop it up.
The majority of the meat used here is pretty cheap since it's there for flavor rather than to be eaten. The neckbones in particular may seem very unappetizing. So eating the meat is entirely optional. You should try it though, slow cooking it in the sauce gives it a really unique flavor. And if it bothers you that much, you can substitute any meat here with another of your choice. Hell, we've even made this sauce with chicken before.
Ingredients:
-Olive Oil
-2 Cloves of Garlic
-4 Sausages
-3 Pork Neckbones
-4 Pork Spare Ribs
-4 Beef Short Ribs
-3 12 oz Cans of Crushed Tomatoes
-12 oz Water
-1 heaping tsp Italian Seasoning
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1 pinch Ground Black Pepper
*Optional*
-1 stick Soprasatta
This is obviously going to make a ton of sauce. We make this for a family of six and usually have leftovers. But that's okay! You can jar the leftovers and refrigerate them for later. Or you can just scale the recipe down. If you do that though, just reduce the amount of tomatoes and meat you use.
Ok let's get started. Get out a big old pot and coat the bottom with olive oil and put it on high heat. Peel the garlic and onion and toss them in the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Start putting the meat in until you run out of room at the bottom of the pot. All of the meat must be touching the bottom of the pot. I managed to get all of the sausage and neckbones in. Turn the heat up to medium-high.
Let the meat sit and brown for 4-5 minutes on each side. You should probably turn the onion and garlic so they don't burn either. When that's done, take the meat out and put it to the side.
You should be able to fit the rest of the meat in now, so put that in the pot and brown these for 4-5 minutes on each side. While these are browning, start opening those cans of tomato sauce. Once they're done browning, take the meat you put to the side earlier and add it to the pot again.
This meat, and the juices it made from browning it against the bottom of the pot, are what separate this sauce from the kind you get in a jar. My mother forbids me from using jarred sauce. Such is life with an Italian mother.
Now it's time to add the crushed tomatoes. My mother swears by the Tuttorosso brand. Before you do this, just make sure none of the meat is stuck to the bottom of the pot. If it is, get it unstuck or it'll burn and ruin the sauce. Ok, now add the tomatoes. Then fill one of the empty tomato cans with water and pour it into the sauce.
Stir gently to avoid breaking up the meat, garlic, and onion with a large, preferably wooden, spoon. Put the heat on high and cover the pot, leaving it just a crack open.
Let it sit for about 25 minutes or until it starts bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cover with just a crack open again. Stir every 20 minutes or so for the next 2 hours. And the sauce is done!
If you want to use the soprasatta for extra flavor, a bit more saltiness, and an absolutely fantastic tasting sauce-cooked meat, cut it up into pieces and add it to the sauce about an hour before it's done. If you're making this with my family in the house though, there's a pretty good chance that half of the soprasatta will be eaten before you get to put it in.
And that's it! Don't forget to boil your pasta with salt!